Portable stand



Oct. 1, 1957 c. F. SMITH 2,803,304

I PORTABLE 'STAND Filed 001;. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

CARL E SMITH gulh y Oct. 1, 1957 c. F. SMITH 2,808,304

PORTABLE STAND Filed Oct. 28, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r me 109 FIG. 7B

INVENTOR. CARL F. SMITH Y 3 WV Uite Generally speaking, thepresent'invention is related to portable stands suitable for use as clipboards, display stands, typists copy boards, speakers stands, andpainters easels. As shall become apparent, the above uses are givenpurely by way of example and are not to be taken as all inclusive. Moreparticularly, the present invention is directed toward the providing ofa portable stand eXhibiting extreme portability, versatility, andruggedness while maintaining simplicity of design and low cost ofconstruction.

In the past, many types of portable stands have been devised. Standswhich are in current usage generally appear to have certaindeficiencies. The principal difiiculty appears to be that of providingfor a portable stand or the like a sufi'iciently sturdy leg constructionand yet maintain manufacturing costs at a In addition, conventionalportable stands have leg structures which, while foldable, arerelatively bulky. It would of course be desirable to increase the degreeof portability of stands without increasing their manufacturing costs.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new anduseful portablestand or the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved portable stand which will exhibit a rugged, positive foldableleg construction.

It is an additional object of the persent invention to provide a new anduseful portable stand or the like which will exhibit a high degree ofportability, a simple but positive leg construction, and yet becharacterized by a low manufacturing cost.

According to the present invention, a principal member such as thathaving at least in part a table top configuration is provided with afoldable or retractable leg construction which is secured in mounting orextended position by the lateral displacement of an end portion of a legconstruction resilient member and the selective engagement thereof by afixedly disposed securing means. If more than one leg member is employedin the construction of the stand, they are designed to foldinterleavably so as to lie perfectly fiat on an associated surface ofthe principal member for storage. .The outer leg member is designed toretain the inner leg member in its stored condition and catch means isprovided to retain the outer leg member flat against the principalmember during its stored condition.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understodd byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is atop perspective View of one form of portable stand,according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the portable stand of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the portable stand Patent iPatented Oct. 1, 1957 2 shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, according to thepresent invention. V

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the portable stand accord ing to thepresent invention in which the leg construction is in its folded orstoring condition.

Figures 5A and 5B are a top perspective View and a side elevationalview, respectively, of the portable stand of Figure 1 in which the firstleg member is shown in its extended configuration but the second legmember is shown foldablystored.

Figures 6A and 6B are a top perspective view and a side elevationalview, respectively, of the portable stand of Figure 1 in which thesecond leg member is shown in its extended configuration and in whichthe first leg member is foldably stored. I

Figures 7A .and 7B are front elevational and side views of an additionaltype of leg construction according to the member 15 may be fabricatedfrom an appropriate gauge of rather stiff spring steel, if desired.Spot-welding may be employed to securecross-bar 17 to element 16 and 7also to secure cross-bar 2 0 to elements 18 and 19. The A uniquecharacteristics of the leg construction are shown in Figure 2.

In Figure 2, element 16 of leg member 14 is mounted to principal member10 by hinge eyelets 200, or by any other suitable means. The essentialfeature of the mount ing of leg member 14 to principal member 10 is thatleg member 14 must be rotatably displaceable within its element 16mountings. Member portion 201 of leg member 14 is fabricated from aresilient material, as has been heretofore described, and is forcedinwardly from its normal disposition so that its end portion 202 mayslip over and be retained by clip 203, mounted on the underneath side ofprincipal member or table top 10. Clip 203 may have a substantiallyZ-shaped configuration or other appropriate shape. L-shaped end portion204 of member or element 19, of leg member 15, may likewise be displaced'so as to engage a securing tion, is provided to retain in their storedconfiguration leg members 14 and 15, hereinafter to be shown anddescribed in detail.

Figure 3 is a side view of the portable stand of Figure 1 and Figure 2and shows with particularity the progressive, resilient bending ofmember portions 19 and 201, of leg members 15 and 14, respectively.principal member or table top 10 is shown to have an inclineddisposition so that the stand may be suitable for use as a draftingboard, speakers stand, painters easel or the like. Principal member 10may of course be perfectly horizontal and the stand used, "ifmanufactured large enough, as a card table or the like. It should alsobe observed that the bendable, central member portions 19 and 201 may bedisposed either interior or exterior of the major portions of theirrespective leg members.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the portable stand according to the presentinvention in which leg members 14 and 15 are foldably secured toprincipal member 10 by a slidable locking device 206 and its selectablehooking over cross-bar 17 of leg member 14. If desired, clip 203 may beslotted to accommodate the storage of member 19, as shown. Portions 400and 401 of leg member 15 may In Figure 3 be separate as shown or acontinuous member. It is to be noted that by the cooperation of slidablelocking device 206 and cross-bar 17 that the entire leg structure isheld perfectly fiat against the lower surfaee of principal member 10. l

Figures 5A and 5B show that log member 14 'may be disposed in itsextended position while leg member may be left folded or stored andsecured by appropriate means;

Figures 6A and 6B indicate that leg member 15 may be disposed in itsextended configuration and leg member 14 folded and retained by thecooperation of slidable locking device 206 and cross-bar 17. Or, as analternative, the additional stored leg member may be altogether removedfrom the portable stand construction. The embodiments in Figures SA and5B and Figures 6A and ,6B suggest in particular the use of the portablestand of the subject invention as an easel, draftingboard, typistsstand, or the like. a V

In cases where the principal member is not adapted to receive screws orother mounting means, the presentinvention also provides for a suitablemounting means and securing means, as is illustrated in Figures 7A and7B. The mounting means and securing means-maybe either a unitarystructure or, as indicated by the dotted lines 700 and 701 in Figure 7A,a two-element structure. Consider that principal member 10 comprises afrangible laminate material 702. In this case it would not be desirableto mount the mounting and securing means directly to principal element10; therefore, as in the case of a home card table, a peripheral edgemember 703 will be provided into which such screws 704 may be driven tosecure mountable portion 705 of mounting and securing means 706 toperipheral member 703. The central ,resilicnt member 19 of leg member15, for example, may include T-portion 707 which is slidable within slotareas 708 of vertical portions 709. The final disposition of centralmember 19, of leg member 15, for the extended configuration of legmember'lS is'indicated in Figure 7B, at which point T-portion 701 ofmember 19 has reached its extremity of travel. When it is desired tofold the leg member into its storing disposition, the T-portion of thecentral resilient member need only be directed to retrace its path inslot 708.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in theappended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. A portable stand, comprising: a principal member 'having at least inpart an upper surface and a lower surface; at least one leg memberhaving an axis of rotational displacement substantially parallel to andin proximity with said lower surface of said principal member; mountingmeans positioned beneath the lower surface of said principal member andmounting said legmember in axially fixed relationship with respect tosaid lower surface 'of said principal member and freely rotatable aboutsaid axis of rotational displacement; said leg member also having atleast one resilient member provided with an end portion resilientlylaterally displaceable in proximate relationwith said lower surface ofsaid principal member; and securing means positioned beneath said lowersurface of said principal member at a point spaced from said mountingmeans and releasably securing saidend portion of said resilient member,when resiliently laterally displaced, in fixed relation with saidprincipal member at a locationtspaced from said axis of rotationaldisplacement, thus defining multipoint mounting of said leg member withrespect to said principal member; said leg memhenand said resilientmember comprisinga portionthereofi-lying substantially entirely inasingle plane when said end portion of said resilient member isdisengaged from said securing means providing a rotatably non-securedleg positionable substantially parallel to and in immediate proximitywith said lower surface of said principal member.

2. A portable stand, comprising: a principal member having at least inpart an upper surface and a lower surface and being provided with aperipheral edge member having an inner surface; at least one leg memberhaving an axis of rotational displacement substantially parallel to andin proximity with .said lower surface of said principal member; mountingmeans carried by said inner surface of said peripheral edge member in aposition immediatelybelowsaid lower surface of said principal member andmounting said leg member in axially fixed relationship, with respect tosaid lower surface of said principal member and freely rotatable aboutsaid axis of rotational displacement; said leg member also having atleast one resilient member provided with an end portion resilientlylaterally displaceable in proximate relationship with said lower surfaceof said principal member; and securing means integrally spacedlyconnected to and carried by said mounting means in a position below saidlower surface of said principal member at a point spaced from saidmountiugmeans and releasably securing said end portion of said resilientmember, when resiliently laterally displaced, in fixed relation withsaid principal member at a location spaced from said axis of rotationaldisplacement, thus defining multi-point mounting of said leg member withrespect to said principal member; said leg member, and said resilientmember comprising a portion thereof, lying substantially entirely in asingle plane when said end portion of said resilient member isdisengaged from said securir g means providing a rotatably non-securedleg I positionable substantially-parallel to and in immediate proximitywith said lower surface of said principal member, a

V 3. Apparatus of the character definedin claim 2 wherein saidintegrally connected mounting and securing means comprisesz a mountingportion carried by said inner surface of said peripheral edge member; atleast one hinge eyelet portion fixedly disposed with respect to saidmounting portion and co-axial with said axis of rotational displacementand rotatably mounting an upper attachable portion of said legmember;and at least one vertical portion provided with amulti-directional slot defining a displacement path for lateraldisplacement of said end portion of said resilient member and a securingrecess spaced from said hinge eyelet portion by said slot.

4. A portable stand, comprising: a principal member having at least inpart an upper surface and a lower surface and being provided with aperipheral edge member having an inner surface; at least one leg memberhaving an axis of rotational displacement substantially parallel to andin proximity with said lower surface of said principal member; mountingmeans carried by said inner surface of said peripheral edge member in apositionirnmediately below said lower surface of said principal saidmounting means and releasably securing said end portion of saidresilient member, when resiliently laterally displaced, in fixedrelation with said principal member at a location spaced from said axisof rotational displacement, thus. defining multi-point mounting of saidleg member with respect to saidprincipal member; said mounting meansandsaid securing means comprising first and second brackets, eachincluding a mounting portion carried by said inner surface ofsaidtperipheral edge member, at

least one hinge eyelet portion fixedly disposed with respect to saidmounting portion and co-axial with said axis of rotational displacement,and at least one vertical portion provided with a multi-directional slotdefining a displacement path for lateral displacement of said endportion of said resilient member and a securing recess spaced from saidhinge eyelet portion by said slot; the vertical portions of said firstand second brackets being disposed parallel to and in side-by-sideproximity to each other such that their respective slots are incorresponding relationship and slidably engage a substantially T-shapedend portion of said resilient member for lateral displacement therein;said leg member, and said resilient member comprising a portion thereof,lying substantially-entirely in a single plane when said end portion ofsaid resilient member is disengaged from said securing means providing arotatably non-secured leg positionable substantially parallel to and inimmediate proximity with said lower surface of said principal member.

5. A portable stand, comprising: a principal member having at least inpart an upper surface and a lower surface; first and second leg memberseach having a different axis of rotational displacement substantiallyparallel to and in proximity with said lower surface of said principalmember; mounting means carried by the lower surface of said principalmember and mounting said leg members in spaced axially fixedrelationship with respect to said lower surface of said principal memberand freely rotatable about the corresponding axis of rotationaldisplacement; each of said leg members also having at least oneresilient member provided with an end portion resiliently laterallydisplaceable in proximate relation with said lower surface of saidprincipal member; and securing means carried by said lower surface ofsaid principal member at points spaced from said mounting means andreleasably securing 6 a, said end portion of each of said resilientmembers, when resiliently laterally displaced, in fixed relation withsaid principal member at a location spaced from the corresponding axisof rotational displacement, thus defining a multi-point mounting of eachof said leg members with respect to said principal member; each of saidleg members, including the corresponding resilient member comprising aportion thereof, lying substantially entirely in its single plane whensaid end portion of said resilient member is disengaged from saidsecuring means; said first leg member being mounted for rotationaldisplacement into a closed disposition substantially against said lowersurface of said principal member and substantially all in a planeimmediately therebelow; said second leg member being mounted forrotational displacement into a closed disposition substantially againstsaid lower surface of said principal member substantially all in saidplane; said leg member being provided with a retaining member releasablyabuttingly contacting and securing said first leg member when in closeddisposition; and fastening means releasably securing said second legmember in said closed disposition with respect to said principal member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,196,655 Buffington Aug. 29, 1916 1,222,457 Peer Apr. 10, 19172,740,679 Vizzini Apr. 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,731 Great Britain 1907416,184 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1934 880,030 France Mar. 11, 1943

